This was taken the night before I went into labor. My belly button has never popped out like that before. I guess that was my clue, my timer had popped and I was done.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
2 weeks
2 weeks ago this was me...
And now...
I've lost 23 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I feel really good. I can breath, I don't have to pee every 30 minutes and I can touch my toes again.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Getting back to normal
Its been almost 2 weeks since the girls came and life is starting to get back to normal.
Its nice to be home with my family. Shawn was home all last week which was so nice. The kids were glad for us all to be back together.
Physically I'm feeling pretty good. My incision site is still sore and sometimes burns, but I'm told that that is just the nerves starting to fire again. It hurts sometimes when I first wake up, I think maybe I sleep on it or something. I'm only taking ibuprofen for pain. The Dr gave me some norco, but I haven't needed to take any since last week. I'm still moving a little slower than normal, and bending down will sometimes hurt a little. I'm technically still on driving restrictions but I've driven a couple times. A "single" moms' gotta do what I gotta do!!
I've officially turned into a milking machine. I'm pumping for the girls. The hospital told me to try to pump 8 times a day, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to get more than 7 times a day in. I'm getting between 35-40ish oz a day. Last I heard the girls' were each eating about an oz at each feed and they're eating every 3hrs. So luckily I'm ahead of the game. I want to try to build up a stockpile, in case I can't last their whole nicu stay.
At my last OB visit which was a week before the girls were born, I'd gained a total of 18lbs, and when I walked into L&D to give birth, I was up a total of 20lbs. I've lost it all and more. I'm down 21lbs so far. Its probably from their birth and mostly from pumping. I'm drinking a TON of water (about 120oz a day) to keep my milk supply up and that's helped flush my system out. I puffed up a bit in the hospital, from all the iv fluids they gave me.
My belly is still a little poochy. I ordered an abdominal binder to try to help put everything back in its place. Maybe in another couple weeks, I'll take an "after" picture and post it. (not feeling quite that confident yet)
The girls' mom and grandma came in on Saturday. They are staying at the Ronald McDonald house. They are over the moon for their little ladies. The girls are continuing to thrive. They are slowly putting on some weight, still breathing on their own, no longer needing the billi light, have had their IV lines removed. They are unbelievably cute. They are fraternal, and already have quite different looks. They are also developing their own little personality.
I'm loving every minute of my time with my kids. Having just helped someone become a mother, makes me realize how fortunate I am to have my children. The emotional side of this whole journey is going to be a whole other post that I'm not yet ready to write.
Its nice to be home with my family. Shawn was home all last week which was so nice. The kids were glad for us all to be back together.
Physically I'm feeling pretty good. My incision site is still sore and sometimes burns, but I'm told that that is just the nerves starting to fire again. It hurts sometimes when I first wake up, I think maybe I sleep on it or something. I'm only taking ibuprofen for pain. The Dr gave me some norco, but I haven't needed to take any since last week. I'm still moving a little slower than normal, and bending down will sometimes hurt a little. I'm technically still on driving restrictions but I've driven a couple times. A "single" moms' gotta do what I gotta do!!
I've officially turned into a milking machine. I'm pumping for the girls. The hospital told me to try to pump 8 times a day, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to get more than 7 times a day in. I'm getting between 35-40ish oz a day. Last I heard the girls' were each eating about an oz at each feed and they're eating every 3hrs. So luckily I'm ahead of the game. I want to try to build up a stockpile, in case I can't last their whole nicu stay.
At my last OB visit which was a week before the girls were born, I'd gained a total of 18lbs, and when I walked into L&D to give birth, I was up a total of 20lbs. I've lost it all and more. I'm down 21lbs so far. Its probably from their birth and mostly from pumping. I'm drinking a TON of water (about 120oz a day) to keep my milk supply up and that's helped flush my system out. I puffed up a bit in the hospital, from all the iv fluids they gave me.
My belly is still a little poochy. I ordered an abdominal binder to try to help put everything back in its place. Maybe in another couple weeks, I'll take an "after" picture and post it. (not feeling quite that confident yet)
The girls' mom and grandma came in on Saturday. They are staying at the Ronald McDonald house. They are over the moon for their little ladies. The girls are continuing to thrive. They are slowly putting on some weight, still breathing on their own, no longer needing the billi light, have had their IV lines removed. They are unbelievably cute. They are fraternal, and already have quite different looks. They are also developing their own little personality.
I'm loving every minute of my time with my kids. Having just helped someone become a mother, makes me realize how fortunate I am to have my children. The emotional side of this whole journey is going to be a whole other post that I'm not yet ready to write.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Babies just couldn't wait any longer
Yep...I delivered!! The girls just couldn't wait any longer I guess. Let me back up and start at the beginning.
Wednesday the 4th, I was hanging out at home with Rylee. We were having a lazy day. At around 5 in the evening I started getting braxton hicks. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. I layed on the couch and started drinking a glass of water. That has always made them go away before. Well this time they didn't go away, instead they started to get a little painful. My back started to ache. That is when I made the decision to head to the hospital just to get checked out. I dropped Rylee off with the babysitter. I really wasn't in pain. Just wanted to get these braxton hicks to stop. I drove my self to the hospital. Walked in, got checked in. The nurse put me on the monitor and within 5 mins she was on the phone with my Dr. I was having contractions one every minute. She came back in to check me and I was dilated to a 5.5. I was SHOCKED. I had no idea that I was in true labor. Within the minutes, I had 4 nurses rushing into my room. It was very chaotic. At that point in time I texted Tess, she is the lady who runs my surrogate agency, and someone I now consider a friend. She was on her way down to be with me. She also called the parents to let them know what was going on. They gave me a shot of terbutaline to try to stop the contractions, they started me on Magnesium and gave me my first shot of steroids to help mature the baby's lungs. They also dropped the head of my bed down so I was laying sort of upside down, to try to keep the pressure off my cervix and to hope that gravity would help us. I stayed like that for about 2hrs. They kept increasing my mag. The Dr at that point was hoping to just buy us 24-48hrs to get the 2nd dose of steroids in for babies lungs.
The pain was starting to get pretty bad during that 2 hrs. After midnight I told the nurse that I was feeling a lot of pressure and felt like I needed to push. I was checked and was told my bag of water was right there and bulging. They said I dilated to about an 8 and we weren't going to be holding delivery off any longer. I had an ultrasound done when the 4 nurses came rushing in. Baby A was breach and baby B was transverse (laying right across the top of my uterus sideways.) So we were heading into a c-section. At this point I was SO scared. I had no idea what to expect as far as how the babies were going to be. The NICU team had come into talk to us and what they told us sounded pretty scary. I was also scared to have major surgery. My Dr was amazing and very comforting toward me. I survived the surgery. Baby A came out first, she was born at 0115 Thursday the 5th. She came out screaming and weighed 3#3 and 16in long. Baby B was more difficult to deliver. The Dr said her cord was wrapped around her neck. She came out very quiet and limp. She was born at 0118, weighing in at 2#14 and 15 3/4in long.
This was definitely not the delivery story I expected to be sharing with you all. I never thought I would have these girls this early.
My Dr came in Thursday morning after I'd had some rest. He told me after he went home he thought and thought and couldn't figure out why I'd delivered so early. I had no warning signs, no infection, no bleeding. Then he told me that it hit him.
Baby B's cord was wrapped SO tightly around her neck that he is convinced that she wouldn't have had much more time. If the meds would have stalled my labor by even a few more hour's, we would have a totally different outcome.
My Dr told me that he felt like God had a plan for these babies and that they needed to come out when they did. After hearing that, a lot of guilt was lifted off my shoulders.
I am so grateful that my body gave me a warning sign and that I listened to it.
I have so much more to share, but it will take some time to get it all out.
A few thanks...Tess, she was amazing. She got right down to the hospital, when I needed her. She stayed with me until middle of the night, she held my hand through surgery (which was one of the scariest times of my whole life) and she checked up on me the whole weekend. She went way above and beyond for me and I'm forever grateful.
Also to J, the mom of the babies. I was so worried that she would question me, what I did or if I could have done something differently to have a different outcome. I've skyped her everyday since the girls were born and she's never made me feel like she blames me. She was thankful I told her what my Dr said and she is so thankful that we have the outcome that we do.
I have tons of amazing friends and family. They all prayed for me and the babies, visited, called and facebooked me.
The staff at the hospital was more than I could have asked for. Every person was more than nice, helpful and no one made me feel awkward, esp in the nicu, being only the surrogate mom and not the biological mom. They've let me come and go as I please, the nurses and Dr's have also jumped on skype everyday to update mom and dad. They were all just so awesome.
Were not going to be sharing pictures of the babies right now, as they are just a little too little. As they get bigger and healthier I may get to. Take my word for it...there super cute!!!
Wednesday the 4th, I was hanging out at home with Rylee. We were having a lazy day. At around 5 in the evening I started getting braxton hicks. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. I layed on the couch and started drinking a glass of water. That has always made them go away before. Well this time they didn't go away, instead they started to get a little painful. My back started to ache. That is when I made the decision to head to the hospital just to get checked out. I dropped Rylee off with the babysitter. I really wasn't in pain. Just wanted to get these braxton hicks to stop. I drove my self to the hospital. Walked in, got checked in. The nurse put me on the monitor and within 5 mins she was on the phone with my Dr. I was having contractions one every minute. She came back in to check me and I was dilated to a 5.5. I was SHOCKED. I had no idea that I was in true labor. Within the minutes, I had 4 nurses rushing into my room. It was very chaotic. At that point in time I texted Tess, she is the lady who runs my surrogate agency, and someone I now consider a friend. She was on her way down to be with me. She also called the parents to let them know what was going on. They gave me a shot of terbutaline to try to stop the contractions, they started me on Magnesium and gave me my first shot of steroids to help mature the baby's lungs. They also dropped the head of my bed down so I was laying sort of upside down, to try to keep the pressure off my cervix and to hope that gravity would help us. I stayed like that for about 2hrs. They kept increasing my mag. The Dr at that point was hoping to just buy us 24-48hrs to get the 2nd dose of steroids in for babies lungs.
The pain was starting to get pretty bad during that 2 hrs. After midnight I told the nurse that I was feeling a lot of pressure and felt like I needed to push. I was checked and was told my bag of water was right there and bulging. They said I dilated to about an 8 and we weren't going to be holding delivery off any longer. I had an ultrasound done when the 4 nurses came rushing in. Baby A was breach and baby B was transverse (laying right across the top of my uterus sideways.) So we were heading into a c-section. At this point I was SO scared. I had no idea what to expect as far as how the babies were going to be. The NICU team had come into talk to us and what they told us sounded pretty scary. I was also scared to have major surgery. My Dr was amazing and very comforting toward me. I survived the surgery. Baby A came out first, she was born at 0115 Thursday the 5th. She came out screaming and weighed 3#3 and 16in long. Baby B was more difficult to deliver. The Dr said her cord was wrapped around her neck. She came out very quiet and limp. She was born at 0118, weighing in at 2#14 and 15 3/4in long.
This was definitely not the delivery story I expected to be sharing with you all. I never thought I would have these girls this early.
My Dr came in Thursday morning after I'd had some rest. He told me after he went home he thought and thought and couldn't figure out why I'd delivered so early. I had no warning signs, no infection, no bleeding. Then he told me that it hit him.
Baby B's cord was wrapped SO tightly around her neck that he is convinced that she wouldn't have had much more time. If the meds would have stalled my labor by even a few more hour's, we would have a totally different outcome.
My Dr told me that he felt like God had a plan for these babies and that they needed to come out when they did. After hearing that, a lot of guilt was lifted off my shoulders.
I am so grateful that my body gave me a warning sign and that I listened to it.
I have so much more to share, but it will take some time to get it all out.
A few thanks...Tess, she was amazing. She got right down to the hospital, when I needed her. She stayed with me until middle of the night, she held my hand through surgery (which was one of the scariest times of my whole life) and she checked up on me the whole weekend. She went way above and beyond for me and I'm forever grateful.
Also to J, the mom of the babies. I was so worried that she would question me, what I did or if I could have done something differently to have a different outcome. I've skyped her everyday since the girls were born and she's never made me feel like she blames me. She was thankful I told her what my Dr said and she is so thankful that we have the outcome that we do.
I have tons of amazing friends and family. They all prayed for me and the babies, visited, called and facebooked me.
The staff at the hospital was more than I could have asked for. Every person was more than nice, helpful and no one made me feel awkward, esp in the nicu, being only the surrogate mom and not the biological mom. They've let me come and go as I please, the nurses and Dr's have also jumped on skype everyday to update mom and dad. They were all just so awesome.
Were not going to be sharing pictures of the babies right now, as they are just a little too little. As they get bigger and healthier I may get to. Take my word for it...there super cute!!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
29 Weeks
Here we are...29 weeks. The 2nd week of the 8th month. The babies this week weigh a little more than 2 and a half pounds each. About the same as a butternut squash. They are also about 15in long.
I think I look pretty good from the front. :)
Oh ya...except these girls aren't head down. There both laying kind of cross ways.
The babies muscles and lungs are continuing to develop. Babies bones are sucking up lots of calcium now. I've added 1000mg of calcium a day. I read that adding calcium will help with leg cramps in pregnancy. And oh boy have I had some nasty leg cramps lately. I'm still feeling pretty good. I tire out very easily and I can't do much with out getting out of breath. My house work is taking a hit right now. I do what I can and Jackson has been a pretty good help too. Somehow, together, we'll all get through this.
I can't believe that sometime within the next 2 months we'll be meeting these little ladies. I'm hoping its later rather than sooner. I want them to keep growing for a while longer.
As uncomfortable as I am right now, I will take it, to make sure these girls get to stay put. I feel like I felt the last couple weeks of my own pregnancies. Like "I'm done". Its easy to get through then knowing you only have a couple weeks to go, but when I think I have close to 7 weeks it seems daunting.
Here is a picture I found online...its twins at 28 weeks, but it gives you a good idea of what they may look like.
I see my Dr a week from tomorrow. Hope everyone has a good week. Did you all have a good New Years?? We did!! Despite a sick little girl, we spent the weekend up in the mountains and had a lot of fun!!
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